Gluten-free Chocolate & Almond Cake
Hello folks! This is Rita here. We had planned to have this recipe published it a few days ago but life seems to have caught us off guard and messed up all of our plans. At last, here it is! We're specially excited to share this cake with you guys because this was one tough recipe to nail. Creating recipes for cakes was the one thing I was most nervous about when we first started planning our blog. Being both a perfectionist and a sweet-tooth turns recipe developing into a very challenging task. I must have baked about 6 different versions of this cake until I finally got it right, but boy was the final product worth the challenge! Don't get me wrong though, this is super quick and easy to make. It has been tried, tested and approved by friends and family members.
The winning version of this delicious dessert turned out rich, moist and incredibly fluffy. It's as perfect for special occasions and dinner parties as it is for breakfast. It's also gluten free thanks to the combination of almond flour and buckwheat flour. The almond flour makes it rich and filling without becoming too dense while the buckwheat provides the perfect crumb and texture. You will find that this is not an overly sweet dessert, which is just how we like them. However, you can substitute the dark chocolate for a (vegan) milk chocolate if you're into some sweeter goodies.
This is a great example of how you don't need to deprive yourself from eating desserts when you go vegan nor do you need to include animal products in them. Eggs and dairy are nothing but the cause of harm to the animals and the planet and the cause of disease and sickness to humans. Let's embrace this compassionate lifestyle and amp up our chocolate cake consumption because folks — believe me; this cake is as healthy and good for you as it is delicious (LOADS!). It holds up really well both in and out of the fridge but our guess is it'll be gone before you know it! Go ahead guys, give this a go and let us know how it turns out!
CHOCOLATE & ALMOND CAKE
1h 10 minutes | serves 12-16
INGREDIENTS
DRY INGREDIENTS
1 cup | 95 gr. almond flour
1 1/4 cup | 185 gr. buckwheat flour
1/4 cup | 20 gr. raw cacao powder
1 tbsp arrowroot flour (or potato starch)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp fine himalayan salt
WET INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup | 60 ml sunflower oil
1/3 cup | 50 gr. vegan chocolate 70% cacao, choppped
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup | 375 ml. almond milk
1 cup | 150 gr. jaggery
2 flax eggs (combine 2 tbsp ground flax seeds with 6 tbsp water and allow to rest for 5 minutes)
1/4 cup | 25 gr. almond flakes
STEP BY STEP
Start by gathering, preparing and measuring all of the ingredients. This will improve your dynamic in the kitchen.
Pre-heat your oven to 350ºF | 180ºC.
Line an 8" | 20 cm spring-form pan with parchment paper in the bottom and the sides.
Sift together all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
Combine the sunflower oil and the chopped chocolate in a double-boiler on medium heat and stir until molten and combined.
Add the vanilla extract and the jaggery to the double boiler and mix thoroughly.
Remove from heat and stir in the almond milk and the flax eggs.
Pour the wet mixture over the dry ingredients and fold until perfectly combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan.
Scatter the almond flakes evenly over the batter.
Place in the oven and bake for 35 minutes.
After the 35 minutes, place a sheet of aluminum foil over the pan and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool completely in the pan before cutting into it.
WE HOPE YOU ENJOY!
Share the photos of your creations on Instagram with the tag #cocooncooksblog so we can see it! xo